TheCable

Hamza Al-Mustapha, former chief security officer (CSO) to Sani Abacha, former head of state, has alleged that those who staged a protest to the presidential villa in Abuja after the death of MKO Abiola, were bribed with money brought from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Speaking with reporters in Kaduna after brokering a peace deal between stakeholders from the northern and southern parts of the country, Al-Mustapha said Nigerians will still know the killers of Abiola.

Abiola, who was incarcerated for laying claim to his mandate, died before he was to be released.

Al-Mustapha was later arrested over Abiola’s death. He spent 14 years in prison and was later set free.

In the interactive session with reporters, Al-Mustapha alleged that some leaders received bribe from the killers of Abiola.

He claimed to have captured those who collected the bribe on tape and submitted a copy of the video Mojisola Dada, justice of a Lagos high court.

The retired major said he did not want to open the can of worms before, but Ayo Opadokun, renowned political activist, forced him to speak out.

Opadokun had recently tongue lashed Al-Mustapha over a recent interview he granted.

“What came out in the newspaper is his own imagination and falsehood against me. If you know my character, you will know that I will not be scared to say the truth, it does not matter who, it does not matter where, but you will later realise that I told you the truth,” he said.

“Initially, I didn’t want to reply him but now that you have asked, I will tell you what happened.

“A day after Abiola died, he (Opadokun) was invited to the presidency and he came to the villa alongside his friends. He was very angry in the villa. Those who killed Abiola invited him to the villa. At that material time, they came to fight the government, they wanted to set the country ablaze, considering the tone they came with.

“They went into the meeting and came out laughing, yelling and jeering as if nothing happened in the country.

“A day after Abiola’s death, if you remember, the country was on the verge of collapse. But seeing what was going on and the things around Abiola led me to suspect them, I had not handed over the villa to Abdulsalami Abubakar government then, so I decided to videotape what they were doing and I have the tape and I have tendered the tape before a court of law, before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos high court.

“In that tape, money exchanged hands and they traded that with Abiola’s memory, and that is my anger. The tape is in that court, anybody who wants to watch it can get it and watch, it is now a public document. I didn’t want to talk about it before, but money was brought from CBN in my presence and it was shared.

“So, if I talk about Abiola’s well-being and safety and that of his family, I am telling Nigerians what really happened. Why should a person from the same south-west, who is supposed to protect Abiola’s interest now be seen to be angry with me? He should be happy with me for saying the fact so that it will not happen again in Nigeria.

“Now, they have forgotten about Abiola but the moment I talk, they will come to the pages of newspapers and start insulting me. I didn’t want to respond to them, but since you have asked, I have to say this.

“All they have done is that they took money and the moment you talk about Abiola, you become their enemy and they will abuse you in the papers. That is what they are doing to me, but I don’t care.

“Thank you very much, I will speak more on this much later God’s willing.”

When contacted, Opadokun said he could not speak because he was on the road and running late to attend a television programme.

“I can’t hear you well,” he told TheCable on the telephone.

“I am on the way to a programme on TVC and I am running late. Can we talk later?”